The Tsunami Countdown Read Free Page A

“I hope to
     God it’s sunny today. If I came all the way from Seattle for more rain, I’ll curl up into the fetal position.”
    “Don’t worry. The report earlier said no rain is projected, so you and the girls should have great weather today.”
    “If it’s your day off, grab your towel and come with us.”
    “Day off? I wish. I’m on call today. I have to give a tour this morning, and there’s a paper I’m submitting to the
Science of Tsunami Hazards
next month that I’ve got to finish.”
    Teresa appraised Kai’s outfit and began to laugh. “I forgot. We’re in Hawaii.”
    He looked down at his clothes and realized why she was laughing. To a Seattleite like Teresa, the flowered shirt, khakis,
     and tennis shoes he was wearing might seem like weekend wear, but it was perfectly normal office attire for him.
    “This is formal wear for me,” he said with a laugh. “Where are you guys boarding?”
    “Well,
I
wanted to go somewhere quiet, but no, I got vetoed!” She jabbed a finger at the girls. “So it’s Waikiki. While they’re swimming,
     I plan to sit my butt down and do absolutely nothing.”
    Kai winced. Because of the holiday, Waikiki would be packed not only with tourists but with locals as well. May was a big
     month for travelers, and three-day weekends were always popular with American tourists from the mainland. Almost fifty thousand
     visitors stayed in Honolulu at any one time, and Waikiki claimed most of them. Teresa would be hard pressed to find any peace
     on the beach.
    “I think they just want to check out the eye candy,” she said.
    “We do not!” said Lani.
    But Mia at the same time said “Yeah!” and Lani turned red.
    Kai tried to help Teresa out. “Why don’t you go to Kahana Valley? There’s a great beach there.”
    “It’s boring,” Lani said. “If I finally get to go to a beach, I want to go to a good one.”
    “What do you mean? We go to our beach all the time.”
    “Yeah, right. Only when you’re with me. What’s the use of living three blocks from the beach if I have to wait for you to
     take me?”
    “Here we go,” Kai said. To Teresa: “One time, I saw some kids smoking dope down at the little park that leads to the beach.
     Now she’s mad that I won’t let her go on her own.”
    “If I didn’t live in this compound, I might have someone to go with.”
    “Why does everyone call it that?” Kai said.
    “I’m sure it’s not because of the barbed wire and security gate,” Lani said, her sarcasm reaching new heights. “Come on, Mia.
     Let’s get our stuff.”
    They ran off to Lani’s bedroom.
    “Good God,” Teresa said. “You know the attitudes are only going to get worse as the day goes on. I’ll pay you a thousand dollars
     to switch places with me.”
    Kai laughed and shook his head. “No way. I like havingthe easy job.” Kai handed her the keys to his Jeep. “When do you think you’ll be back?”
    “If I can endure it, I’m thinking around five. That way I’ll have plenty of time to recover before the luau tonight.”
    “Perfect,” Kai said. “The boogie boards are in the garage.”
    “We’ll get them!” yelled Lani from the other room.
    As he and Teresa went outside, Kai paused to turn off the TV. Just before he clicked it off, he noticed a new graphic saying
     AIRLINER MISSING OVER PACIFIC.

THREE
    8:56 a.m
.
    T he rain had been falling constantly for two hours now, but that didn’t keep Yvonne Dunlap from her duties. In her three weeks
     on the Palmyra Atoll, she had come to appreciate the damp weather, which gave the island a serene quality. Even with 175 inches
     of rain per year watering the lush vegetation, she could think of worse places to do scientific research. She picked her way
     across the beach looking for her quarry, avoiding the plastic garbage that marred the otherwise pristine habitat. Dark clouds
     stretched to the horizon, broken only by an occasional flash of lightning in the distance. The breaking surf